The New PE Teacher
by Xayhra
Summary: Looking for a new title! Mr. Reese and Finch get the number of fifteen year old Jerome Harris. Finch gets Mr. Reese a job as a teacher at Jerome's school but it isn't enough. They need help to keep eyes on Jerome. Reese has his eyes set on someone, but Carter isn't too happy about it. Meanwhile, she and Fusco have to attend an office party. T for safety! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Looking for a new title! So, if you've read any of my other fanfics, you'll know that I have trouble keeping a fic serious. It doesn't help that I was purposely making more than half of those fics crackfics. But the point is, I'm going to try really hard to make this normal, and **_**please**_** tell me if I get off track. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I made up Jerome Harris and Quincy High School.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Person of Interest.**

Mr. Reese entered the Library to the sounds the clicking of the keys on the keyboard and the infernal squeaking of Bear's squeaky toy.

He neared the section of the Library where Finch worked. Finch glanced up at him, his fingers still flying over the keyboard. "Had your yoga classes again, Mr. Reese?"

"Do we have a new number?" John asked, ignoring the question.

Finch nodded. He got up and taped a picture of a teenaged African American boy on the glass board. "Jerome Harris, freshman at Quincy High School. Fifteen years old, lives on 53rd street with his mom, dad, and seventeen year old sister, Samone. He was in juvie for theft but says he was wrongly accused."

Finch turned to Mr. Reese. "I can't watch him when he's in school, Finch. I'm trying to stay out of jail."

"Already taken care of that. You're his new P.E. teacher."

Mr. Reese stared at Finch. "You can't be serious."

"I am quite serious, Mr. Reese."

"I don't know anything about P.E."

Finch eyed him. "John, you get in some kind of physical fight almost every day. You can handle baseball."

"I can't go in a school with a gun!" Reese threw out another excuse desperately.

Now Finch just stared at him blatantly. "Since when have laws bothered you? Just don't pull out your gun and start shooting at every given moment. Anyway, schools would probably be much safer if all the teachers had guns."

Mr. Reese sighed. It looked like he wasn't getting out of this one. "Fine."

Finch smiled and handed him a piece of paper. "Here's your schedule and lesson plan for this week. I think you'll like it. Your first class starts in an hour. I suggest you get ready." Finch offered him a pair of track pants and a t-shirt.

John took the clothes and the paper and started to leave but Finch stopped him, "And, Mr. Reese?"

"Yes, Harold?"

"Don't encourage violence. We don't want you fired."

Detective Carter walked to her desk, nodding a hello to Fusco as she went. An invitation sat on her keyboard. She picked it up and read it. "Office party?" she muttered. "Hey, Fusco," she said, turning to him.

"Yeah, Carter?"

"You get this invitation to an office party too?"

He nodded and held up his invitation. "Yeah, some new annual homicide detective only office party some idiot thought up. We're required to go."

Carter glanced at the date on the light blue card and sighed. "That's Taylor's birthday."

"You'll think of something."

**So what do you think? Please review! Looking for a new title!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to an anonymous Guest, NiennaTru, AreiaCananaid, Proconsul, and Dash99 for their reviews! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Person of Interest.**

Mr. Reese eyed himself in the full-length mirror. He really wanted his suit back. This was worse than when he had to wear a polo on that one case with Zoe about the former safecracker. He sighed. Oh well. That was the price of going undercover.

He glanced at the clock. 9:34 am. That gave him a little more than ten minutes. Then he remembered the schedule Finch had given him. Hmmm. . . . What had he done with it? He checked the front pocket of the dress shirt he had been wearing earlier that day. Ah-ha!

He opened it and scanned the contents. Boxing? And a field trip to go to a gun range to teach handling a gun and practice shooting? Now Finch's last few comments made sense. Oh, well it was time to go.

Detective Carter and several other assorted policemen surveyed the remains of the burned apartment. "How many people were killed by the bomb?" Carter asked.

The man in charge glanced at his notes. "One. Three others injured."

"Doesn't look like an accident to me," Carter mused.

The man nodded. "We think someone killed the woman then set the house on fire, but made it so the other three could escape."

Carter opened her mouth to reply, but her phone rang. She glanced at it. Taylor's school. Why were they calling? "Excuse me, officer. I have to take this." Carter moved to the side and answered her phone, "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Maurice Johnson, the principal of Taylor's school. I was wondering if you could come in immediately?" the voice on the phone said.

"Why do I need to come in?"

"I'm afraid we caught Taylor stealing valuable items from my office on a security camera."

"I'll be right there," Carter said absently, hanging up. No, Taylor wouldn't do that. He couldn't. Maybe the video of the theft was a fake. Yes, that was it. But how could she prove it? Oh, yes, Finch.

She dialed his number. "Finch, I've got a job for you."

"Since when are you giving me jobs, Detective?"

"When it concerns my son, you do. Now, I want you to hack—"

"You want me to hack into something, Detective?! I thought you were against that!"

"I am, but I need you to. It could help Taylor."

"Is Taylor in danger?"

"No. Well, only from me. Anyway, I want you to hack into Cedarville High School's cameras and look for any fakes."

"Fakes?"

"The school has a video from a security camera that shows Taylor stealing from the principal's office. I think it has been planted. I want you to find it and determine who planted it."

"Fine, but only because it could help Taylor. I'm not going to start doing jobs for you, Detective."

"Just do it." Carter hung up and turned to the officer. "I have to go." She hurried to her car and drove to the school.

Reese frowned as he surveyed his students. None of the girls had any idea how to fight, and the boys weren't much better. He sighed. Jerome wasn't even in this class. Oh, well.

"Hey, Mr. Anderson or whatever you said your name is!" one of the guys shouted. "How long do we have to do this?"

"Until I say you can stop," John said with that trademark smirking expression of his that makes you either want to smack him or give him a hug.

"My dad's the principal!"

"And your point?"

"I can have you fired!"

John raised an eyebrow in a can-you-now? look. "I wouldn't do that."

"Why?"

"Oh, there are many reasons." Just then the bell rang. The kid glared at him, then grabbed his backpack and left with the rest of the kids.

"Hey, Finch?"

"Yes, Mr. Reese?"

"What's the name of the principal's kid?"

He heard the clicking of the keyboard then, "Conroy Ericson, eighteen, star football player, awfully active on social media. It could take days to sort through it. Want me to ask Carter about his criminal record?"

"No, just curious."

"Just as long as it doesn't get you killed."

"How many more classes do I have?"

"Just one more and Jerome Harris is in this one."

"Good."

**I probably should not have ended the chapter there, but I was afraid if I kept writing this chapter it would get too long. I made Mr. Reese's alias John Anderson because that was an alias of his in an episode. I know schools would never allow its students to go to a gun range for a field trip, but it's fiction. Oh, and that look I mentioned, anyone know what I'm talking about? Still looking for a new title! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks to Dash99, AreiaCananaid, Guest Sophia, and Guest Irrelevant (awesome name to use, by the way) for their reviews! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I had this weird dream the other night where Regina (the Evil Queen) from Once Upon a Time captured Finch. . . . And then she was actually doing the right thing and Finch was working for her and he went back to the Library and it was really weird. . . . I have no idea what Mr. Reese was doing. . . . Yeah. . . .**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Person of Interest.**

Carter hurried into Cedarville High School. She had just been told that her son had been seen stealing valuable items from the principal's office on a security camera. She noticed a sign that directed her in the direction of the office.

Her phone vibrated, and she pulled it out of her pocket. It was Finch. "You find anything?" she asked.

"I did, detective. Those tapes weren't fakes."

Carter stopped. "What do you mean?"

"I'm sorry, detective, but Taylor did it."

"No, he wouldn't. I'm a cop. He wouldn't—no, he couldn't do it."

Finch opened his mouth to respond but a call came in from John. "I'm afraid I have another call coming in, detective. I have to go." Finch hung up and answered John's call. "Yes, Mr. Reese?"

"Finch—" he stopped. "Never mind. Class is starting. We need to talk later." Reese hung up. Finch sighed. Ever since Root had kidnapped him, John had become more . . . _protective_, for lack of a better word.

Mr. Reese sauntered in the direction of where Jerome was boxing against a sixteen-year-old Caucasian boy named Nate Richards. Richards was proficient at martial arts and had been doing boxing for several years. He was very good and it was no mistake that John had paired them together.

He examined Jerome's technique. Not too bad. If he brought his guard up a little. . . . Then he remembered that he was the teacher. He wasn't just observing. "Jerome," he said.

Jerome paused, earning himself a punch on his right shoulder. Reese shook his head. "Keep fighting. Don't focus on me. I'm background, you barely notice me."

Jerome went back to fighting, getting hit a little more often as he tried to divide his attention between two things.

"Now, bring up your guard." Jerome followed the order and followed the rest as John gave them. "Don't stay in the same place. Move around a little. You can hit harder than that. You can sway to the side to avoid punches. You're dropping your guard again. Think fast; guess what your opponent is going to do before he does it. Relax a little. Use your back and other muscles too."

After a few minutes, he moved off to help some other students so as not to appear suspicious. He then let them take a break for the last ten minutes of class.

John walked over to the bleachers and sat down. He had thought being in the CIA was hard. Teaching was awful! One of the kids—what was his name? Oh, yes, Dominic Allen—walked over to him. "Hey, Mr. Anderson!" he said.

John nodded. "Yes?"

"Can we see ya fight? I mean, we've all been learnin' how ta fight, and we wanna know how good you are."

John was pretty sure Finch would be wincing at Dominic's bad grammar. "You don't want to see that."

"Why not?"

"Because I only fight when it's necessary." How he wished that had been true when he was in the CIA.

"Oh, well, okay," Dominic said in a voice that suggested that he would bring up the question later. John shrugged, and the bell rang.

Carter walked into the principal's office in a daze. How could Taylor do that? Maybe Finch was wrong. Those tapes were fake. Or maybe it wasn't Taylor, just some kid that looked like him.

The secretary glanced up at her. "Are you Joss Carter?"

Carter nodded wordlessly.

The secretary pointed down a hall. "Third door on the right."

Carter nodded again and hurried down the hall. She knocked on the door. "Come in," a voice called. She pushed open the door and walked in. Taylor's principal, Maurice Johnson, sat behind a large oak desk. Taylor sat facing him.

Taylor glanced up and smiled weakly at her. She tried to smile back, but it was more of a grimace than a smile.

"Ms. Carter, as I said before, we caught your son stealing valuable items from my office on a security camera. I'm sure you want to know what he stole?"

Carter opened her mouth to respond, but he answered his own question, pulling out photos of the items as he listed them. "A gold necklace with an emerald pendant, my watch, three hundred dollars, and the answer key to an upcoming test of his."

"Did you find the items?" Carter asked.

Maurice nodded. "Yes, in your son's locker."

Even though Carter knew it was true, she gasped. "We know this is probably very hard for you, but we have to suspend Taylor for at least a week. It might be more or turn into an expulsion," he said in a gentle voice, but she could tell that he just wanted them out of his office.

Carter nodded. "Sure," she said shakily.

Maurice nodded and handed her a piece of paper. "Sign here to agree." Carter signed.

She stood up and beckoned to Taylor. He stood up and followed her out.

**Sorry for the late update. I had a hard time writing this chapter. So many different ways to have the plot go. . . . I'll probably end up re-writing this. . . . And I know nothing about boxing so sorry if anything was wrong. Please review! Title still needed!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm really sorry about the super late update! I didn't really know where I wanted to take this story and I just figured it out so I could finally write this chapter. Thanks to randomitegirl, AreiaCananaid, Harold Finch and Grace luvr, and Guest Sophia for their reviews! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I got the names of the gangs from Saints Row 2 (video game like Grand Theft Auto except you're taking over other gangs).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Person of Interest.**

John entered the Library and quietly padded over to where Harold was sitting at his computer. "How was your day at work, Mr. Reese?" he asked.

"Oh, fine," John muttered absentmindedly and glanced at the glass board in the Library. Finch had written something on it since he had left. "What's this?"

"I did some more digging in some gang websites—"

"I thought those were heavily guarded by tons of passwords and Trojan viruses?"

"'Heavily' isn't the word I'd choose."

"Oh?"

"Horrible security. Even a rookie like you could hack it."

"Me? A rookie at hacking? I worked for the CIA," John teased the reclusive billionaire.

Harold rolled his eyes. "Which just proves my point even more. Now, as I was saying, on one of these gang websites, I learned that Jerome was connected to the gang The Ronin."

Reese raised an eyebrow. "The Ronin? They're almost as bad as the mafia!"

Finch nodded gravely. "I believe he did so for the money to help his mother. Jerome's dad has cancer and his family is barely making ends meet."

"How exactly is Jerome connected to The Ronin?"

"He does the easier work like stealing and selling drugs. But he has recently gotten an order to kill the second-in-command—a one Eric Dranner—of a rival gang called Sons of Samedi."

"Which is probably why we got Jerome's number."

Finch nodded. A notice came up on the computer screen that Fusco was calling. "That would be Fusco with details on Mr. Dranner." Finch pushed a few buttons on the keyboard. "What did you find, Detective Fusco?"

"Yeah, hello, to you too," Fusco said grouchily. "So Dranner ain't no second-in-command gang leader. He's an undercover cop. I used to work with him before I joined HR. Real name's Nick Vokneer."

"That's very helpful, Lionel," John said.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Fusco hung up.

"So, Jerome is part of a gang and has been told to kill second-in-command Eric Dranner of the gang Sons of Samedi, who is also an undercover cop named Nick Vokneer. . . ." Finch mused.

The two men thought for several minutes and then Finch said, "What was it that you wanted to talk to me about, John?"

"Oh, yes, what's with Carter?"

"Taylor was caught stealing from his principal on a security camera and Carter wanted me to find out if the footage was fake."

John looked slightly shocked. "And were they fake?"

"No," Finch said sadly.

John sighed. "I wonder how Carter is holding up."

Carter and Taylor climbed up their porch steps and into the kitchen. Carter glanced at her son who had taken a seat at the kitchen island. Carter leaned on the side of the island opposite him. "Why did you do it, Taylor?"

"I can't tell you," Taylor said quietly. "I'm so sorry, Mom." He got up and slowly climbed the stairs up to his bed room.

Tears filled the detective's eyes. She felt like her world was falling down around her. Her phone rang. It was her boss. "Yes, sir?"

"Carter, where are you?"

"I had to pick Taylor up from school early."

"Well, can you come back in?"

"I think so. I'll be there in twenty." Her boss hung up and Carter dialed John's number.

"Hey, Carter. How are you?" John answered.

"Not so great. Hey, I'm being called back into work. Can you or Finch watch Taylor while I'm gone? And I mean not with cameras."

"Sure, I'll be right over if Finch doesn't need me for anything else."

"Thank you, John," she said and hung up.

Carter wiped the tears from her eyes and fixed her makeup then climbed up the stairs to Taylor's bedroom. She knocked on his door. "Taylor?"

She heard footsteps and Taylor opened the door. "Yeah?"

"I have to go back to work. John is coming over while I'm gone."

"So now I have a babysitter?" Taylor asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Taylor."

Taylor just shut the door.

Carter sighed and hurried outside. Now to endure another two or three hours of work.

**Again, I'm really sorry about the late update! Hopefully, you sort of liked this chappie. Please review! New title still needed! I'll try to update before the end of August.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to Guest jo for their review! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Person of Interest, CandyLand, Call of Duty, XBox, Sony, or PlayStation.**

Reese turned to Finch. "I take it you don't mind that I go keep an eye on Taylor?"

Finch shook his head. "No. Carter needs all the help she can get right now."

John headed out of the Library and hailed a taxi. He told the cabbie the address and was soon at Carter's house. He (for once) knocked and waited a minute. Taylor appeared and opened the door. "What are we going to do today? Play CandyLand?" He asked sarcastically.

"No," John said calmly. "What do you want to do?"

Taylor decided to make the best of having a babysitter. "You know how to play Call of Duty?"

After about an hour of playing Call of Duty and Reese beating Taylor mercilessly, John set down his controller and turned to the teen. "How would you like to do something for me while you are suspended from school?"

"Like what?"

"There's this kid I think will be involved in a crime very soon and I want you to become friends with him and try to stop him."

"Why should I help you? How do you even know that this kid will commit a crime?"

"Because you could help save somebody's life."

"You didn't answer my second question."

"I wasn't planning to."

Taylor thought for a moment and then made a decision. "Fine. I'll help you, but only because I might save someone's life. What's the kid's name?"

"Jerome Harris."

Something flashed across Taylor's face but it quickly disappeared.

"You start at Quincy High School tomorrow. I'll pick you up at eight."

"How can you be so sure that I'll get in?"

"I'll pull a few strings."

LATER. . . .

John entered the Library. Carter had just returned from work and he had left. Bear barked once and trotted over to him. He reached down and patted the Belgian Malinois. Finch glanced up from his computer screens. "How did it go with Taylor?"

"Fine. Do you suppose we could buy an XBox and Call of Duty?"

"No, I own the XBox company though."

John looked slightly shocked. "Really?"

"No. I own Sony and PlayStation."

"Since when?"

"Somebody I knew passed away and left me that and several other companies."

John raised an eyebrow. This was the first time Finch had mentioned someone that knew him well enough to leave him in charge of several companies. Then he said, "Well, can you enroll Taylor into Quincy High School? He should start tomorrow."

Finch raised an eyebrow quizzically. "Why would Taylor need to attend Jerome's school?"

"I can't really keep an eye on Jerome every second of the day, so I sort of recruited him to help keep an eye on him."

Finch gave him a disapproving stare then decided there was nothing he could do about it. "Just keep in mind that we don't have much time before something happens. And you're talking to Carter if he gets hurt."

Reese nodded. "I know. Just enroll him. See you later."

Finch nodded absently in response as he turned back to his computers and set to work.

**Sorry, the chapter is sort of short. I'll try to make next chapter longer. Sorry if this chapter comes out weird. I'm writing it from my iPad and this is my first time doing so. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to lionsassy for his/her review! I can't wait until tonight when season 3 starts! It's going to be sooo awesome! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Person of Interest. **

John pulled up in front of Carter's house. He got out and knocked at the door just as Carter pulled it open on her way out. "Hi, John. What are you doing here?" she asked, a bewildered look on her face.

Just then, Taylor ran down the stairs and called a greeting to the vigilante.

"I'm here to get Taylor."

Carter glared at him. "Why?"

"I'm working undercover at this school to help him," Taylor said enthusiastically as he came back into view with an apple in his hand.

"What?!" Carter grabbed the much stronger man by the collar and pulled him around the side of the house. "What are you doing? Was this your idea? You do _not_ enlist my son to do your dirty work!"

"It's the only possible way to get close to a kid I'm . . . protecting," Reese said calmly.

"Well, you've got problems if you think I'm just going to go along with this!"

"I don't."

Carter spluttered and settled for glaring at dark-haired man. The fact that he acted so calm and collected infuriated her to no end.

Taylor poked his head around the doorway. "You know I can hear you from the kitchen, right?"

"Taylor-"

"Mom, what else am I going to do? And with Mr. Tall, Strong, and Creepy there, how am I going to get in trouble?"

"Mr. Tall, Strong, and Creepy, as you put it, has a propensity to get into trouble," Carter disagreed.

"He won't get hurt, Carter," Reese said placatingly.

"Yeah? Well, the last time you told me nobody was going to die, someone died."

John just looked at her.

"Please?" Taylor asked.

Carter looked between the two. "If my son gets hurt in any way, shape, or form, I will personally put you in Rikers."

Taylor grinned and Reese nodded, expressionless. They turned and got into John's car.

Reese glanced at the teenage boy as he started the car and headed in the direction of Quincy High School. "Why are you suddenly happy about doing this when you weren't yesterday?" he asked.

Taylor glanced back. "I'm not really. But it's easier to convince my mom of stuff if I think it's fun or interesting."

John considered if this tactic would work on Finch too, and quickly discarded the idea.

Carter walked toward her desk and was stopped by Fusco's "Hey, Carter, sorry 'bout Taylor."

"It's alright."

Fusco didn't really believe her but decided not to pry. "Did you hear?"

Carter turned to the other detective. "No, what happened?"

"So, word on the street is the guy that organized this office party thing is some guy by the name of Anderson."

"Wait-that idiot Anderson?"

"Yeah, and everyone's giving him trouble for it. But his captain wasn't here when he proposed this idea so it went to a different captain, who's a bit of an idiot himself."

"Why do we have so many idiots in the NYPD?"

"Ask the guy that employed them."

Carter sighed and went to her desk. Today sounded awful.

**So much for a longer chapter, huh? Well, at least you've got a start of their days. Anderson is a reference to BBC's Sherlock, by the way. Please review!**


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